Posts Tagged ‘cigarettes’

State Comparison of Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health

August 10th, 2011

A new report is out that provides a state-by-state comparison of a wide range of behavioral health issues. Every state has to deal with some significant challenges with mental illness and substance abuse.  For example, among people 12 and older, Alaska’s current illicit drug use rate more than double that in Iowa (13% versus 5%), yet Iowa was among the top 10 states when it came to binge drinking (28%).

 The report was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and provides valuable insight to state public health authorities and service providers on the scope and type of behavioral health issues affecting their states. The report uses the combined 2008 and 2009 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH ), which is drawn from interviews with more than 100,000 persons from around the country, and provides a state-by-state breakdown along 25 different measures of substance abuse and mental health problems, including illicit drug use, binge drinking, alcohol and illicit drug dependence, tobacco use, serious mental illness, and major depressive episode. Other notable findings include:

  • Fewer people in many states perceived that cigarette use can be risky. Between the combined years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 the perception of great risk from smoking one or more pack of cigarettes a day decreased in 14 states among those aged 12 to 17; in 31 states among those aged 18 to 25 and in 9 states among those 26 and older.
  • Current illicit drug use dropped among adolescents aged 12 to 17 in 17 states between 2002-2003 and 2008-2009; no increases in current illicit drug use occurred in any state in this age group over this time period.
  • While the District of Columbia had the nation’s highest rate of past year alcohol dependence or abuse for those 26 or older (8.1%), it had the lowest rate among persons aged 12 to 17 (3.0%).
  • Utah had the lowest rate of current marijuana use (3.6%) while Alaska had the highest rate (11.5%).
  • Between 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 11 states showed declines in past year cocaine use among persons aged 12 or older (in alphabetical order — Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia).
  • Rhode Island had the nation’s highest rate of adults aged 18 or older experiencing serious mental illness in the past year (7.2%), while Hawaii and South Dakota shared the lowest rate (3.5%)

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Smoke Free Arizona Annual Report

June 4th, 2010

Our Smoke Free Arizona team published our 3rd annual ADHS Smoke-Free Arizona Annual Report 2010 this week.  The report found (just like last year) that compliance the law is excellent, thanks in large part to the common-sense approach that we took when implementing the act since 2007.  Over the last year, the county health departments conducted more than 71,000 on-site visits at bars, restaurants and other businesses providing education and technical assistance to ensure continued compliance.

We received 1,389 complaints last year, mostly for smoking within 20 feet of an entrance.  Our goal is always to get compliance without enforcement, but we were forced to issue 36 notices of violation last year (resulting in $3,500 in fines).  these violations were mostly in businesses (usually not bars or restaurants) that allowed employees, customers or visitors to smoke inside.  For more information about how things are going visit the http://www.smokefreearizona.org/ website.

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“Winnable Public Health Battles” Smoking and Tobacco Use

May 26th, 2010

All this week, I’m talking about the five “winnable battles” in public health as laid out by the new CDC Director – Dr. Thomas Frieden.  Dr. Frieden talked about focusing its strategic planning on public health and policy interventions to help win the 5 “Winnable Battles” in the next 3 years.  There’s not much on the CDC’s website yet on the new strategy- but moving forward you’re sure to hear about them.

3.     Smoking and Tobacco Use

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the US and in Arizona.  Cigarettes are responsible for about one in five deaths annually in the US, or about 443,000 deaths per year.  Enough said about the problem, but what can be done?

Here in Arizona, we’ve taken an aggressive stand over the years and have focused a great deal of our voter-protected tobacco prevention funds toward preventing kids from starting.  If you can keep a kid from smoking past age 21, they are unlikely to ever become addicted.  If they do, they will have a good chance of kicking the habit.  When kids start smoking as an adolescent, their brain get’s “hard wired” to the nicotine and they are much more likely to become a life-long smoker.  You can check out our youth prevention campaign including the media spots on our http://www.venomocity.com/ website.

Nationally, there will be some policy changes, as the FDA now has authority to regulate the nicotine in cigarettes as a drug.   The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed last year will put into motion a series of regulations over time that regulate tobacco products.  The first in the series will start in June, when  Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco kick in.  Most of the things on the June list regulate smokeless tobacco (chew).  There is a lot more information on the FDA’s website.

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New Tobacco Quitline Ad’s

May 20th, 2010

We began running our new smoking cessation TV ad’s this month in targeted markets.   They use a “call to action” format and encourage smokers to call a phone number (the ASHline http://www.ashline.org/ 1-800-55-66-222) to get help- including free nicotine patches, gum and lozenges.  When the first ad started running, the quitline was swamped with calls.  By the way- this tobacco prevention program (including the ad placements) are paid with a voter-protected tobacco tax that’s earmarked specifically for tobacco prevention activities.

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